How much matcha do I need for cookies?

6 g (about 3 level teaspoons) per 200 g of flour gives a clear but balanced matcha flavour; 8 g if you want it stronger. Always sift it in with the flour.

Can I use ceremonial grade matcha in cookies?

It bakes fine but it is a waste: the oven flattens the delicate flavour you paid for. Culinary grade is designed for exactly this and gives a stronger matcha taste in the finished cookie.

Why did my matcha cookies spread flat?

Almost always unchilled dough or over-softened butter. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes, use butter that is pliable rather than shiny, and bake on a cool tray, not one straight from the oven.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes, refrigerate up to 48 hours, or freeze the rolled balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen with a minute or two extra. The chilled-overnight version tastes best.

Matcha cookies

Name: Matcha cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 16 cookies
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 125 g butter, softened; 100 g soft brown sugar; 60 g white sugar; 1 egg, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 200 g standard (plain) flour; 6 g culinary grade matcha (about 3 level teaspoons); ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; 150 g white chocolate, roughly chopped (chunks beat drops here)

To make matcha cookies, beat 125 g of softened butter with 100 g of brown and 60 g of white sugar, add an egg, then mix in 200 g of flour sifted with 6 g of culinary matcha and fold through 150 g of chopped white chocolate. Chill the dough 30 minutes, then bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 16.

Prep 15 min

Cook 12 min

Total 60 min

Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

125 g butter, softened
100 g soft brown sugar
60 g white sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 g standard (plain) flour
6 g culinary grade matcha (about 3 level teaspoons)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
150 g white chocolate, roughly chopped (chunks beat drops here)

Method

Make the base dough. Beat the softened butter with both sugars for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Brown sugar keeps the middles chewy; the white sugar crisps the edges.
Sift in the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, matcha, baking soda and salt together, then mix into the butter mixture just until a soft dough forms. Sifting matters twice over in cookies: matcha clumps survive baking as bitter green specks.
Fold in the white chocolate. Fold through the chopped white chocolate, holding back a small handful to press onto the tops before baking if you want bakery-style looks.
Chill the dough. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (up to 48 hours). Chilling firms the butter so the cookies spread evenly instead of thinning out, and it protects the matcha's colour by letting you bake the cookies fast in a properly hot oven.
Roll and bake. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (170 fan) and line two trays. Roll the dough into 16 balls of about 40 g, space them well apart and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centres still look slightly underdone.
Cool on the tray. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes to finish setting, then move to a rack. They firm as they cool. Baking to fully set centres gives dry cookies.

Why white chocolate and matcha work together

Matcha is grassy, gently bitter and savoury-edged; white chocolate is sweet, milky and rich. Each covers exactly what the other lacks, which is why the pairing shows up everywhere from KitKats to cafe slices. In these cookies the chocolate also does structural work: pockets of melted white chocolate keep the crumb soft. Chunks chopped from a block make better pockets than uniform drops, and any standard supermarket white chocolate works.

Do you really need to chill the dough

Yes, and 30 minutes is the practical minimum. Warm dough spreads before it sets, giving thin, greasy cookies; chilled dough holds its shape while the outside bakes, giving thick, chewy middles. The rest also lets the flour hydrate, which improves both texture and flavour. If you plan ahead, the dough is at its best after an overnight chill, and the rolled balls freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen with 1 to 2 extra minutes.

How do you keep the cookies green

Short, hot bakes protect matcha's colour, which is exactly what this recipe does: 10 to 12 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Pulling the cookies while the centres still look slightly wet is the difference between a green cookie and an olive one. They finish cooking on the hot tray. Fresh powder matters as much here as anywhere; matcha that has gone khaki in the packet cannot bake green. Six grams is the flavour sweet spot for this quantity of dough; push to 8 g if you want the tea to bite harder against the chocolate.

How long do matcha cookies keep

Three to four days in an airtight container at room temperature, though the colour is at its most vivid in the first day or two. Baked cookies freeze fine for a month, but freezing the raw dough balls and baking on demand gives a fresher result for the same effort.

Common questions

How much matcha do I need for cookies?: 6 g (about 3 level teaspoons) per 200 g of flour gives a clear but balanced matcha flavour; 8 g if you want it stronger. Always sift it in with the flour.
Can I use ceremonial grade matcha in cookies?: It bakes fine but it is a waste: the oven flattens the delicate flavour you paid for. Culinary grade is designed for exactly this and gives a stronger matcha taste in the finished cookie.
Why did my matcha cookies spread flat?: Almost always unchilled dough or over-softened butter. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes, use butter that is pliable rather than shiny, and bake on a cool tray, not one straight from the oven.
Can I make the dough ahead?: Yes, refrigerate up to 48 hours, or freeze the rolled balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen with a minute or two extra. The chilled-overnight version tastes best.